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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25861111">The Next Day</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/YvaJ/pseuds/YvaJ'>YvaJ</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>due South</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:14:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,042</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25861111</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/YvaJ/pseuds/YvaJ</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place right after the due South episode 'Some Like it Red'.  Melissa Ryan was more hurt by what Fraser had done than she was willing to admit and as bad luck would have; Chicago's crime scene does not take a holiday while they sort things out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story was written several years ago after I watched the episode 'Some Like It Red' and this story came to mind.  Some of the names in this story are spelled differently here simply because I am going by what I heard.  I hope you enjoy the story.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p><b>The Next Day</b><br/>A <i>Due South</i> story <br/>By: Yva J</p>
  <p>
    <b>Chapter 1</b>
  </p>
</div>As the police cars disappeared from the school, Melissa Ryan turned around to see Fraser and his partner get into a green Buick Riviera and leave the school.  Her initial reaction to learning the truth about Fraser was to smile and laugh it off, but inwardly, she was hurt.  Her best friend, Celine, stood near the headmistress of the Catholic school, a nun named Anne McKray and the other two students, Wanda and Tiff were standing next to a police car and both of them seemed barely affected by the evening’s events.<p>Melissa shuddered remembering the thieves who wanted to kill all of them just so they would be able to take a large collection of valuables from the basement of the school.  She turned away from the scene.  As usual Celine was the center of attention, and now that she was okay, Melissa would once more fade in the background.  Her hand brushed her eyes, and she felt the moistness, which comes from wanting to cry, but not being able to do so, as it would not be considered cool to cry in public.</p>
<p><i>This wasn't the first time an adult had lied to her about something, and it probably wouldn't be the last,</i> she thought as she bit her lip and turned away from the crowd assembled along the curb.  Fraser was, by this time, gone and she only wanted to get back inside and put the evening's events behind her. </p>
<p><i>I saved his life,</i> she remembered shouting to her friend to duck as she threw a bottle of whiskey at the man who wanted to fire the gun and shoot the friend she had come to know as ‘Miss Fraser’.  The person she thought was her friend was a man and a cop wearing a wig and dress.  <i>Is this person, whoever he is, still my friend or was it just another lie like with the role he played?</i>  The questions buzzed in her head as she made her way back inside away from the entire scene outside.  <i>The teacher, a friend, now I learn she's a man and a cop, not a teacher at all, so the chances of him being a friend are even less likely.</i></p>
<p>Melissa opened the door to her room.  Apparently, Celine was still outside making statements to the police.  She thought for a moment that perhaps she should be outside making a statement as well, but decided that the others probably told everything that was necessary.  In this case, she did not mind staying in the background.  As she sat down on the bed, tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked over at Celine’s bed, and saw all the stuffed animals.</p>
<p>“Celine’s the only person here who is who they say they are,” she said to the darkness remembering when she had confided these sentiments to ‘Miss Fraser’, “I trusted her, and it turned out she’s only a fictional character created by a man.”</p>
<p><i>How could I be so stupid?</i> she asked herself again and again.  <i>I told him stuff about myself that I wouldn't even say to my own father.  I thought it was safe because I thought Miss Fraser understood me. This whole fiasco was about Celine and never about me.  After all, Celine was pretty, popular and now I'm beginning to believe that the only reason I have any other friends is because of Celine.</i></p>
<p>She got up off the bed, wiped her eyes, and made her way over to the door.  As she made her way down the quiet hall, she remembered the day when she met Fraser.  Right after Celine had once again disappeared.  Sister Anne introduced her art class to a new teacher, Miss Fraser. </p>
<p>
  <i>As soon as Miss Fraser came up to me and helped me, I liked her.  There were so many things about her that made me smile.  Then she came to my room, and talked to me, because she seemed to be concerned for me.  She even asked if I was okay.  She was rather strange, but she was so nice to me, and she offered me some support.  I mean, mostly, we talked about Celine, but it was nice to have someone listen to me and understand that Celine is my friend and not pressure me about it.</i>
</p>
<p>Leaving her room, she made her way down the darkened corridor before entering the classroom marked 11-B.  Looking around, her gaze came to rest on the sculptures which were sitting on the shelves.  When she found her work, she sat it on a table and sat down in front of it and sighed deeply.  She saw the sculpture of herself and wiped the tears from her eyes.  She looked over at Celine's work, I knew vaguely where Celine was, and Miss Fraser seemed to accept that I didn't feel comfortable tattling.  As her mind drifted, she didn't hear the door of the classroom open and close.</p>
<p>“Melissa?”</p>
<p>Quickly, the teenager wiped away the the last of her tears before raising her head and seeing Sister Anne leaning against one of the desks not far away from where she was seated.  “I’m sorry,” the woman said as she pulled a chair away from the desk and sat down about two feet from where Melissa was.  “I think allowing this charade to take place was a big mistake.”</p>
<p>“Celine’s okay, that’s all that matters,” Melissa said, all the while trying to sound tough.  “Right?” she added weakly, which sounded more like an inquiry than a statement of fact.</p>
<p>“But what about you?” Sister Anne asked, concern coloring etched in her expression. </p>
<p>Melissa shrugged her shoulders.  “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“You liked Miss Fraser a lot, didn’t you?” Sister Anne asked.</p>
<p>Melissa nodded, “I guess so, it sounds stupid, but it was like I had a friend who couldn’t get me into trouble,” she said with a weak smile.  “I liked her a lot, but now I find out she doesn’t exist because some cop made her up.  I feel like I was used because of Celine.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think you were used, but maybe you are being a little bit hard on Constable Fraser,” Sister Anne offered.  “He was only trying to help Celine.  Quite honestly, I don't believe that he intended to hurt you in the process.”</p>
<p>“Well, he did,” Melissa looked up and made eye contact with the other woman.</p>
<p>“Do you want to talk about it?”</p>
<p>Melissa shook her head, “no, I just want to forget that it ever happened.”  She looked at the headmistress, “look, I know you’re just trying to help, Sister Anne, but I can’t change the way I feel, and right now, I’m confused.”  She stood up and grabbed her sculpture. </p>
<p>“If you want to resolve this, then I can take you to the Canadian embassy tomorrow and you can talk to him,” Sister Anne said gently, as the teenager placed the sculpture on the shelf and turned around.</p>
<p>Melissa shook her head, “I don’t know what I’d say if I went.”</p>
<p>“I don’t suppose you want me to go and speak to him about this?” Anne asked.</p>
<p>“No, please don’t, it’d be too embarrassing for me if you did that.  Besides, I don’t want anyone’s pity.”  Melissa said bitterly as she made her way to the door.</p>
<p>“I honestly don’t think anyone’s offering pity.”</p>
<p>“Maybe, maybe not, but all the same, I think it’d be a waste of everyone’s time.”</p>
<p>Sister Anne nodded, “yes, I figured that that’d be your answer, but I thought I’d ask anyway.”</p>
<p>Melissa shrugged her shoulders and walked out into the hallway and closed the door of the classroom.</p>
<p>Sister Anne was left alone.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>~~~~~</p>
</div>Celine was in their room when Melissa reached the door and walked in.  “Hey Mel,” she offered weakly.  When she saw Melissa's face, she sat down on the bed.  “I’m sorry about what happened tonight.  I didn’t know that those guys would show up.”<p>“Yeah, well, they did,” Melissa began, “I’m glad that you’re okay, but do me a favor, don’t run off again and get people here into even more trouble.  We could have all gotten killed tonight and it was all because you wanted to run away again.”</p>
<p>“Okay, Mel, I know, and I’m sorry.  You don’t have to remind me of that; after all I lost a lot more than you did.  I don’t think I'll get over Todd anytime soon either,” Celine said sadly.</p>
<p>“I know,” Melissa put her arms around her friend.  "I wish there was more I could do, but you’ve got to stop running away.  And as much as I can’t stand those snobs, Wanda and Tiff, I wouldn’t have been able to get over it if something had happened to them tonight.”</p>
<p>Celine nodded, “yeah, I know.”</p>
<p>Melissa shrugged her shoulders and smiled weakly, “I’m just glad you’re okay.”</p>
<p>“You must have been really surprised when Fraser's wig flew off,” Celine said when she saw the unhappy look on her friend’s face.</p>
<p>Melissa nodded numbly.</p>
<p>“I’m the reason everything happened,” Celine offered.</p>
<p>Melissa sighed sadly looking at her friend, “I’d have eventually found out about him, Celine.  It’s not your fault.  I’m just glad this whole thing is over.”  She crawled into her bed and allowed her body to collapse against the pillow.</p>
<p>“Do you want to talk about it?” Celine asked crawling into her own bed.  She was not sure if she could have been the best support for Melissa, since Todd was killed earlier that day.  Celine also could not help but feel that Melissa’s problems were much more trivial than her own.</p>
<p>“No,” Melissa spoke again, “I know you have enough on your mind, but I don’t really want to discuss it anymore.”  She shifted her weight so that she would be facing away from Celine.</p>
<p>This had to have been the single worst day of her entire life.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <b>Chapter 2</b>
  </p>
</div>“You’ve got to be kidding,” Detective Ray Vecchio said with wide eyes.<p>“No, I’m not kidding, my grandfather used to use dirty socks to cure a sore throat,” Fraser said, “It’s an old remedy. You lay the dirty socks on your throat and the sore throat should be gone by morning.”</p>
<p>“I guess this is the same as your assertion about fungus last night at the school.”  Ray said smirking.  “I still can’t believe you told Jack about that remedy.  You know that if Lt. Welsh ever heard you talking like that, he’d probably have you thrown head first into the loony bin.”</p>
<p>As Ray was speaking, Fraser fell into step beside him and the two men left the precinct.  Outside, they walked in the direction of the parking lot where Vecchio’s prided dark green Buick Riviera was parked.</p>
<p>“So where to?”</p>
<p>“I have to get to the consulate and check in with Inspector Thatcher, you can drop me off there,” Fraser responded.  “I still have to give her the bottle of whiskey that I was able to salvage last night.”</p>
<p>“You’re lucky that Lt. Welsh didn’t comfiscate that last night with the rest of the evidence,” Ray grumbled.</p>
<p>“Quite,” Fraser responded, but changed the subject.  “According to the schedule, I should be back later today.”</p>
<p>Ray smirked, he knew too well what Fraser would have to do, but refrained from saying anything.  About a block from the consulate, Ray turned to Fraser and broke the silence.  “So what’s the deal with the kid?</p>
<p>“What kid, Ray?”</p>
<p>“You think I’m blind Benny?  The kid who confronted you last night after your wig flew off.  What other kid do you think I’m referring to?”  Ray said as he pulled the Buick up to the front entrance to the consulate.</p>
<p>“I don’t think I’ll see her again,” Fraser answered honestly, “and if I do, I don’t really know what I’d say to her.  I think I really hurt her, Ray.”</p>
<p>“Kids generally tend to bounce back from such things.  If it’s any consolation Benny, Sister Anne will take good care of her,” Ray offered as he casually punched his friend on the arm.  “Now, get out of here and go be a good Mountie.”</p>
<p>“I hope you’re right,” Fraser said gripping the glass bottle with one hand and opening the door with the other.  It was evident in the Mountie’s stance that he was not quite convinced of that.  “I guess I’ll see you later.”  He continued as he got out of the car, and using one hand, he pushed the seat forward so Diefenbaker could get out.  Once the large white wolf had bounded out and was standing next to him on the curb, he closed the door and watched his partner drive away.  Walking slowly past Constable Turnbull, Fraser walked through the gates of the consulate and into the building.</p>
<p>After he checked in with his superior, and turned over the bottle of whiskey, he returned downstairs and headed out the front door.  Once he had relieved Turnbull from the post, he took the other Mountie’s place at the front entrance of the consulate.</p>
<p>From this place, he watched as the people wordlessly passed him by.  <i>This has to be the most boring job assignment I’ve ever had,</i> Fraser was thinking, <i>I can’t move or talk to anyone.</i></p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>~~~~~</p>
</div>After about an uneventful hour had passed, a taxi pulled up alongside the curb and a young girl got out.  Once she had paid the faire and the cab drove off, Fraser inhaled slowly when he recognized that it was Melissa.<p><i>Oh dear, she probably doesn’t know that I can’t talk now and she really looks like she could use a friend,</i> he thought as she came closer to where he was standing and silently stared up at him.</p>
<p>After standing around for several moments and seeing that he had not even reacted to her presence, she sighed.  <i>Coming here was a mistake, he looks totally oblivious,</i> she thought to herself.  <i>Maybe Sister Anne was right, maybe the best way to resolve this is to just talk to him.</i></p>
<p>She knew that the head mistress had been right, she would probably feel better if she told him how she felt.  The truth was that she had spent the previous night unable to sleep.  Her eyes were red and puffy from lack of sleep, but the makeup she had applied to them shielded that and she hoped he would not notice it.  She knew if he did, that he would only feel sorry for her, and that was the last thing she wanted or needed.</p>
<p>She opened her mouth with the intention of speaking, but only a squeak emerged, and she immediately covered it with her hand.  <i>I wish I had the courage to say something,</i> she thought as she continued to stare up at his unmoving form.  <i>I’ve already made a fool of myself in confiding in him, and I get the impression that he’s ignoring me.  If I did say anything now, he’ll probably think I’m just a stupid kid.</i>  Her eyes looked back up at him and when she received no acknowledgement, she shrugged her shoulders and turned to leave.  <i>It figures, he probably wouldn’t talk to me even if I did say something.</i></p>
<p>“Excuse me, young lady.”  Melissa turned around and found herself looking into the eyes of a very stern, dark headed, woman.  “I’m Inspector Margaret Thatcher, Constable Fraser’s superior.  Can I help you with anything?”</p>
<p>“No, Ma’am,” Melissa managed to speak, “I just uh...” her voice trailed.</p>
<p>Inspector Thatcher could instinctively tell the girl was nervous, she had the same deer trapped in the headlights look that many of her subordinates had when she addressed them.  After several moments, she spoke, her voice loosing some of its edge.  “Are you okay?”</p>
<p>Melissa responded initially with a nod, but after several moments, she found her voice.  “I wasn’t doing anything wrong, was I?”</p>
<p>“No, you weren’t.”</p>
<p>Throughout the exchange, Fraser listened, but said nothing.  Finally Melissa looked down at her watch.  “I’m sorry, but I have to go,” she said self-consciously as she walked away from the guard post without looking back.  As she was making her way in the direction of a bus stop, she failed to notice that Thatcher was still watching her every move, a contemplative look shadowing her features.</p>
<p>After some moments, she turned to face Fraser, “I want you to report to me before you leave, Fraser,” she said as she headed towards the door that would lead inside.</p>
<p>“Oh dear,” Fraser muttered as his eyes followed Melissa until she turned a corner.  He sighed deeply. <i> She’s hurt and I can see it in her eyes.</i></p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>~~~~~</p>
</div>Instead of taking the bus back to the school, Melissa hailed a taxi and headed back to the school.  <i>This was a big mistake, </i>she thought to herself as the cab stopped in front of the school.  She pulled out some money, paid the driver and got out.<p>After she closed the door and turned towards the school, she saw Sister Anne standing in front of the door.  The headmistress looked worried, and a little angry, but she held her temper at bay.  “Where have you been, Melissa?”</p>
<p>“Nowhere specific,” she answered trying to remain calm.</p>
<p>“You know that it may still be dangerous for you to leave the school alone.  Don’t you remember what happened last night?” Sister Anne asked.</p>
<p>“Look, I’m 16 years old, not a baby.  I didn’t do anything wrong, if you want to interrogate someone, Sister, make it Celine, not me,” Melissa said bitterly, but after a moment her voice softened when she looked up at the woman who questioned her.  “I’m sorry, Sister Anne, I just have a lot on my mind right now, I didn’t mean to be rude.  If it makes any difference, I am being careful.”</p>
<p>“I think this whole incident bothers you more than you’re willing to admit,” the nun said softly.  “You don't have to pretend, Melissa, it’s pretty obvious.”</p>
<p>The teenager nodded, “I guess it’s kind of stupid to admit it, but yeah, I feel like a fool.”</p>
<p>“I never implied that what you were feeling was stupid.”</p>
<p>“I know you didn’t,” the teenager answered, “but you didn’t really have to.”</p>
<p>“Maybe you should tell Constable Fraser how you feel.  It might make things easier if you were to confront the situation,” Sister Anne persisted with the same argument as the night before.</p>
<p>“I don’t think so, it’d just be a waste of time,” Melissa argued.</p>
<p>“You know, talking to an adult about emotional things is not necessarily stupid,” Sister Anne offered.</p>
<p>“That’s easy for you to say, you’re already an adult.  I’m just a stupid kid and no matter how many people I trust, I still end up getting hurt by them.  It wasn’t you or even Wanda and Tiff that were made to feel stupid, it was me.”  She paused, but after several moments passed, she raised her head and looked into the eyes of the nun.  “Just so you know, I did go and try and talk to Constable Fraser, but it was a waste of time.”</p>
<p>“Why?  Didn’t you get an opportunity to talk to him?”</p>
<p>“No, I didn’t,” Melissa said bitterly.  “Instead of getting to talk to him, all I could do was stand and stare up at him.  He was standing by the door of the embassy and looked really official.  I guess he wasn’t allowed to speak to me because his eyes didn't even acknowledge that I was there.  But, I was, Sister Anne, and I must have stood there for at least five minutes, but he didn’t even look at me.  I felt like one of those tourists at Buckingham Palace.  You know, the ones who try to make the guards crack a smile, and they don’t even bat an eyelash.”</p>
<p>Anne nodded with understanding, but when the girl did not speak further, she did.  “Did anything else happen?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, some woman showed up and said that she was his superior, and then she asked if she could help me and if I was okay.  She was trying to be nice, but instead was kind of intimidating.”</p>
<p>“I see,” Sister Anne smiled inwardly remembering how Ray had described Fraser’s immediate superior.  He had called her a ‘dragon lady’ or some such name.</p>
<p>“Sister Anne, did you know about who Ms Fraser really was?”  When she received a confirming nod, Melissa sighed.  “That figures,” she said, “I guess everyone knew but me.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry we lied to you, I really am.  I honestly didn’t know that this was going to happen,” Sister Anne offered.  “I’d never have approved this, but Celine was in trouble, and you knew where she was.  Without Fraser, Celine would have probably ended up like Todd.”</p>
<p>Melissa nodded, “I know, but it doesn’t change the fact that I feel used, and no matter what you or anyone else says, I don’t think I’ll ever forget this.”</p>
<p>The woman by the door nodded, “I know.”  She sighed sadly but turned back around to look at the teenager.  “This is completely off topic, but I was wondering, since you like to go out so much, maybe you can do me a favor.  I know that I gave you hard time about leaving the school, but I do want you to know that I do trust you when you are away from here and I need someone to go down to Chester’s bookstore and drop off some old books for me.  I was supposed to go yesterday, but because of everything that happened, I suppose it slipped my mind.  If you can’t, I understand, but I thought maybe it’d take your mind off everything.”</p>
<p>“Sure, I’ll go, I’m kind of bored hanging around here anyway,” Melissa said.</p>
<p>“You can pick up the books at my office in fifteen minutes,” Anne responded.  “Thanks a bunch.”</p>
<p>Melissa nodded and followed the headmistress through the front gate and into the school.  Neither of them noticed that a dark blue van had been parked not far from the gates leading onto the school campus.  The man who was seated behind the wheel, watched the two of them intently, and then turned around and nodded to the three friends who were sitting in the back.  One of the men pulled a gun from his pocket, while the other three watched the door of the school.<br/>
</p><p>
When Melissa emerged some twenty minutes later, one of the men poked the driver whose eyes followed her.  When she was about a block away, they started the engine and drove slowly in the direction which she had walked in.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <b>Chapter 3</b>
  </p>
</div>After Fraser finished his detail, he headed upstairs to Inspector Thatcher’s office.  Once he reached the office and knocked, she called him in and he closed the door after entering.<p>Before he could reach the chair on the other side of the inspector’s desk, she cut right to the chase.  “Who was the girl, Fraser?”</p>
<p>“What girl, Sir?” Fraser repeated his voice soft but still emerging with his usual level of virtue.</p>
<p>“The girl who was standing outside while you were on duty; the one who was looking up at you as though she lost her best friend!  You know her and I want a straight answer from you.  Who is she?”  Thatcher motioned towards the chair and Fraser took a seat.</p>
<p>“Her name is Melissa, Sir, she’s a student at one of the Catholic schools in the area,” Fraser answered.</p>
<p>“Does her being here have something to do with you wearing ‘Passion Flower’ the other day?”  Thatcher's gaze never faltered.</p>
<p>“Yes,” he responded honestly, “I had posed as her teacher.”</p>
<p>“I am assuming that this position was that of a woman?”</p>
<p>Fraser nodded, “yes, her best friend is a girl named Celine, and I went under cover there to find out why she kept running away from school.  I had to go in disguise, meet Melissa, and find out where her friend was.  It was imperative that I did this in such a way that would not instill suspicion.”</p>
<p>“So essentially, you used this girl,” Thatcher concluded as she grabbed a manila folder off the stack and looked up at the Mountie, who was sitting awkwardly in the chair on the other side of the desk.</p>
<p>Fraser tried without much success at concealing a sigh, but his thoughts were literally racing.  <i>Why does she always do that?</i> he asked himself as he tried to formulate a response that would satisfy his boss.  “Celine was in serious trouble and Melissa was the only person who knew where she was.  I had use the disguise to get her trust to get her to tell me where Celine had gone.”</p>
<p>“I’ve said this once, and I’ll say it again, Fraser.  Your job is not to clean up this city.”</p>
<p>“I understand that Sir, but with all due respect, these are kids.”</p>
<p>Inspector Thatcher nodded and looked down at the pile of folders.  After a few moments, she looked up. “Okay, Constable you’re dismissed, but I’d like to suggest, off the record, that you find this girl and talk to her.  Lying doesn’t become you at all,” a pause, “that’s all.”  Thatcher returned her attention to her work and Fraser stood up and left the office without saying another word.</p>
<p>As he came down the stairs, Diefenbaker, joined him and they headed straight for the door.  Since his detail was over, and the ordeal with Inspector Thatcher, was behind him, he decided to head back to his apartment.  He thought once he dropped Diefenbaker off, he could go by the school before calling Ray at the station.  “Do you understand any of this?” he asked the deaf wolf.</p>
<p>Diefenbaker answered by cocking his head to one side and looking up at Fraser.</p>
<p>“Me neither,” he answered as he crossed the street.  As he made his way down the block, he realized that the school wasn’t too far where he was heading and continued in that direction.  After about a mile away from the consulate, he looked down at Diefenbaker, and sighed, “I think you’re getting weak, Dief, it's only a couple more miles to our apartment.”</p>
<p>After walking close to another mile, he suddenly stopped as he looked across the street at a group of businesses that lined the street.  One of them was an antique bookstore.  Crossing the street and closer to the front of the store he saw a tall man getting out of a dark colored van and walking towards the front entrance.</p>
<p>Turning back around, he noticed a small group of men walking slowly towards a gray power box that was attached to the shop.  He quickened his pace until he was standing about five feet from the doorway that would lead inside the store.</p>
<p>As he got closer, he saw a teenage girl walk inside the store carrying a stack of books in her arms as well as a large shopping bag.  For whatever reason, Fraser’s intuition was screaming at him that something was wrong.  He continued to watch as the man rushed inside the store right after the girl had managed to juggle about with the books and open the door.   Once inside, the man turned back around and closed the door firmly behind him as Fraser was approaching the door and had reached out with the intention of opening it.</p>
<p>Instead of doing so, he walked away from the door but casually peered into the shop through the front window.  From his position at the window, the Mountie could survey the perimeters of the store, but could not see the faces of them who had gone inside.  What he could see, was that the girl who had entered the store ahead of the group of men, was Melissa.  Taking note of the perplexed and frightened look on the teenager’s face, he realized that something was very very wrong. </p>
<p>“Melissa,” he muttered under his breath as his attention shifted over to one of the men.  He still could not make out any distinguishing characteristics of the men, but when one of them turned around, Fraser saw a gun in his hand, which was pointed at another man who was stationed behind the counter.  He turned to Diefenbaker and spoke, his mouth parallel to the wolf’s eyes, “Get Ray, Dief.”</p>
<p>The wolf took off running, and Fraser turned back towards the door of the shop.  With Diefenbaker racing back to the station, Fraser took a deep breath before opening the door and walked calmly inside.  The man turned around, his gun turning with him until it was pointed at Fraser.  “Whaddya want?”</p>
<p>“I think you should drop the gun, and leave.” Fraser said calmly. “The Police have been notified.”</p>
<p>“I don’t care what you think,” the man sneered.  “Why don’t you take a seat with the little lady, or else you’re gonna get hurt.”</p>
<p>Before Fraser could respond to these words, the three men who had been out on the street next to the power box burst into the shop.  “Well, did ya cut the power, Larry?” the man turned his attention away from Fraser momentarily to address his friend.  He managed to maintain a firm grip on his weapon.</p>
<p>“No way man, this place is connected through the entire street.  If we disconnect the power here, than it’ll send a chain reaction to the entire block and you know the authorities will be notified.”  <br/>The man grumbled, but cast a casual glance towards Fraser before his next question emerged.  “Who the hell is this?”</p>
<p>“I dunno; he came in after I came in,” the man who had been holding up the proprietor of the shop said.</p>
<p>“Constable Benton Fraser, Royal Canadian Mounted Police,” Fraser said calmly, but before he could get another word out, one of the men began to laugh.</p>
<p>“Aren’t you a bit out of your jurisdiction, buddy?” he asked as he inched his way closer to where Fraser was still standing.</p>
<p>Before Fraser could offer any sort of response, two of the men came from behind and pushed the mountie to the ground as the man standing by the counter spoke again.  “I don’t give a fig about jurisdictions, Constable, so why don’t you sit down over there and not make any trouble?  I have no qualms about using this gun and from this range, I won’t miss.”</p>
<p>With those words still hanging in the air, the leader of the group shifted his attention back to the store clerk.  The man was staring wide-eyed as the two men heaved Fraser to his feet and practically carried him over to where Melissa was seated.  As soon as they had reached the teenager, they pushed Fraser to the floor.</p>
<p>Once the leader thought that Fraser was out of the way, he returned his attention to the clerk and casually began waving the gun under the man’s nose, his next words emerging.  “All right, show’s over, now I want that book, and I’ll tear this place apart until I have it, understand?”</p>
<p>The clerk nodded and began to nervously shuffle around with the books, which were still on the counter.</p>
<p>Melissa tried to shift her focus away from the robbers and back to where Fraser was on the ground.  The Mountie had managed to shift his weight around and was able to sit Indian-style on the floor.  She looked over at him but could not bring herself to say a single word.</p>
<p><i>Why did you come in here?</i>  She wanted to yell at him.  <i>You could’ve just walked by as though nothing had happened.  After what happened last night, I really didn’t think something like this would happen,   I just wanted to do Sister Anne a favor and then go back to the school.  Now I’m in trouble again, and I can’t blame anyone else for it.</i> Melissa looked back over at Fraser, who was now rubbing the lower part of his back.</p>
<p>Once he was certain that the men were distracted by the books, Fraser glanced over and made eye contact with Melissa, “Don’t say anything, act like you don’t know me,” he whispered. </p>
<p>She nodded slowly still unable to utter a sound.</p>
<p>When Fraser looked over at her a second time, he could see the fear in her eyes, but he could also see that she was still very sad and noticed that a lot of the makeup, which she had applied to her eyes, had been smeared away.  She carried the same sadness he saw when she approached him at the consulate.  There was little he could say at the moment, but he leaned closer and began to whisper to her again. “I promise we’ll talk about what happened after all this is over.”</p>
<p>One of the men who had been watching them looked menacingly at Fraser, “Whadd’ya say?”</p>
<p>“Nothing,” Fraser answered calmly clearing his throat.</p>
<p>“If either one of you says anything else, you’re dead,” the man turned away from them and walked back over to the counter where the other three men stood. “So did he find anything yet?”</p>
<p>“No,” the man called Larry answered.</p>
<p>“We ain’t got time for this,” Stan finally said.  He aimed and fired his weapon at the clerk who fell over the top of the counter.  Approaching calmly, Stan shoved the man’s body to the ground, and turned to his associates as Melissa screamed.</p>
<p>As her screaming shifted to soft crying, Fraser reached over and squeezed her shoulder gently as the leader of the group addressed his cohorts.  “I want you guys to tear this place apart until you find that book.  I know it’s in here and it’s worth a fortune; so find it!”  As soon as the other men began emptying the shelves, he began digging through the stacks of books.</p>
<p>Without thinking of what he was doing, Fraser got to his feet with the intention of disarming the men.  What he did not expect was a karate chop to the gut, which resulted in him doubling over in pain.  As two of the men continued kicking and punching him, the leader looked up from the counter as his friends pushed him callously up against the wall and he slid to the ground.  “Constable, we’re all experts in the Martial arts, so we suggest you stay where you are, or the little lady will be the next person to get it.”</p>
<p>Fraser wearily raised his head but said nothing.  His lip had started bleeding as he reached over to wipe the moisture away.  He couldn't remember ever having someone beat him with hand-to-hand combat except when Frank Zuko’s men had nearly killed him.  Now, he was afraid to fight again, because Melissa would ultimately have to pay the price for it.</p>
<p>Melissa was, by this time, crying uncontrollably and as seconds slowly ticked by she could feel pressure against one side of her arm.  After she had wiped her eyes, she looked over and noticed that Fraser had initiated contact with her.  As she attempted to stop crying, she reached inside her blazer jacket and pulled a handkerchief from the inside pocket.  Unfolding it with trembling fingers, she pressed the small cloth into Fraser’s hands.  As soon as he held the small square piece of cloth, she casually wiped her forearm over her eyes and sniffed, the emotional outburst had apparently ended.</p>
<p><i>Where are you, Ray,</i> Fraser asked himself as he wiped his mouth with the small cloth Melissa had given him before returning it to the inside pocket of his uniform.  At least the men were paying more attention to the books than to their hostages.  Maybe when they found the book, this Stan and his friends will simply leave the store.</p>
<p><i>I've got to get us out of here before they find the book, Fraser thought, these guys will probably decide to kill us in order to protect themselves.</i>  He sighed deeply looking back towards the window.  <i>But, at least now Melissa had stopped crying.</i></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <b>Chapter 4</b>
  </p>
</div>Diefenbaker made it to the precinct and charged inside barking.  When he saw Ray at one of the desks, he rushed over to him, and grabbed the Detective’s jacket with his teeth and began to pull it towards the door.  “What’s up Dief?  Is Benny in trouble?”<p>The large wolf barked twice and Ray stood up. “Who am I kidding?  He’s always in some kind of trouble,” Ray muttered as he started to chase the wolf through the station and outside.  Instead of getting into the car, he broke into a run and followed the wolf down the street in the direction of the store.</p>
<p>When they finally reached the bookstore Diefenbaker stopped running and was waiting patiently for the detective to catch up with him.  When he finally did, he noticed that the wolf was standing as still as a statue and staring intently inside.</p>
<p>Ray discreetly glanced through the window, and when he saw Fraser and Melissa in the corner, he sighed as his attention shifted and he began to watch as the men recklessly pulled books down from off the shelves.</p>
<p>Inside the store, Stan was still waiting by the counter, and based on his body language, the man was growing increasingly impatient.  “It’s gotta be here, somewhere,” he muttered to himself as his friends continued to do all the work.</p>
<p>At that moment, Fraser suddenly heard a small tapping sound to the left from where he and Melissa were seated.  He casually, but also inconspicuously turned his head towards the window and when he saw Ray standing outside, he sat up straighter.  Diefenbaker was standing beside his partner and without hesitating; he began to mouth words through the window to the wolf.  <i>I really do hope he really can read lips,</i> Fraser thought as he mouthed a message to Diefenbaker.  Maybe the wolf would be able to convey to Ray that he should call for some back-up and that the men holding them hostage were Martial Arts experts.</p>
<p>As Ray continued to watch Fraser through the window, he grew confused.  "What the hell is he saying?"  Ray looked down at Diefenbaker.  Within seconds the wolf took off down the street and was running at full-speed back in the direction of the precinct.</p>
<p>“Hey, wait up,” Ray called out once he was far enough away from the bookstore.  “Don’t you know it’s disloyal to abandon your master during his hour of need?”</p>
<p>Diefenbaker responded by running even faster.  Ray concluded that it was up to him to get Fraser out of there.  He walked back up the street and waited about a block from the bookstore.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>~~~~~</p>
</div>By this time, the men were more concerned with finding the book, than they were of their hostages, and Fraser took the chance to ask Melissa a question.  “Do you know what they’re looking for?”<p>“A diary about the ‘Civil War’,” Melissa whispered back.  “The man said it’s the original copy and worth a lot of money.”</p>
<p>Fraser nodded and he grabbed a hold of the bag Melissa had with her.  He began to look through the books inside.  Seconds passed and he sighed deeply and looked up. “Where did you get these books?” he asked her.</p>
<p>“Sister Anne gave them to me to bring here,” Melissa answered.</p>
<p>“Did they come out of the vault at your school?” he whispered urgently.</p>
<p>She shook her head, “I don’t know,” she paused for a moment before shaking her head once again.  “No, because she said she was going to bring them yesterday and last night was the first time she even knew about the vault.”</p>
<p>Fraser nodded.  He had a sinking feeling about this.  If those men found the books in Melissa's possession, there's no telling what they’d do.  “I think this is the one they want,” he whispered pointing inside the bag.</p>
<p>Melissa nodded and swallowed the lump, which was beginning to form in her throat.  “What are we gonna do?”</p>
<p>“I have an idea,” he whispered, “We’re going to stand up and walk calmly out of here, okay?  Leave the bag, they're preoccupied, so maybe they won't see us leave.”</p>
<p>Melissa nodded, pushed the bag away, and quietly got to her feet.  Fraser stood up and she followed him slowly towards the door.  The men were still digging through the shelves, and as Melissa walked, the floor began to creak under her feet.   However, as soon as Fraser reached the door and opened it, one of them looked up.</p>
<p>“Hey, they’re trying to leave, Stan, Lenny, Terry!”</p>
<p>Fraser ran when the men spoke, out of the front door.  Once outside, he turned around to make certain that she was still behind him.  When he saw her appear in the doorway, he sighed with relief, but when she didn't move, he turned and made his way back towards her.</p>
<p>“Fraser!” she screamed.  When he turned back around, he inhaled slowly.  Stan had appeared in the doorway right behind her, the gun pointed to her temple.</p>
<p>“You’d better stop, or she’s dead, Mountie,” Stan sneered as he cocked the hammer of the gun and waited.  Fraser stopped instantly and watched as Melissa was dragged back inside the store. </p>
<p>Larry pointed across the street at Fraser. “What about the Mountie?” he asked Stan as he turned to go inside.</p>
<p>“Let em go,” Stan sneered.  “We still got the girl.”  He looked at Melissa with a gleam in his eyes.  “He talks, then she’s toast.  Seems to me your nun friend was stupid to send you out by yourself, little girl,” he said with laughter still in his voice.  “I’ve been staking out your school for the last three weeks, so I know about the valuables there.”</p>
<p>Melissa shrank underneath the man's gaze but said nothing.  </p>
<p>“Now, we’re gonna check inside her bag, and see what treasures await us,” Stan said as he dragged Melissa back towards the bag which she had put in the corner.  Before bending down to inspect the booty, he pushed Melissa towards Larry.  “Don't take your eyes off her,” he instructed as he ripped into the bag, and found the book.  “You know, guys, I had a strange feeling that this kid had the goods on her.”</p>
<p>“Then why’d ya kill him then?” asked Larry as he glanced over to where the store clerk lay.  “If you knew the whole time the kid had the stuff, then why didn’t we just take it away from her and leave?”</p>
<p>“Why?  You ask me why?  What’s the matter Larry, ya worried?  I’ve known for months that this particular bookshop had lots of valuable stuff.  Besides, the cops ain’t gonna show up, and even if they did, by then we’ll be gone.”  Stan walked confidently towards the door of the store.  “We take the little lady here as insurance and if we need a cover, she’ll be it.” He laughed and walked towards the back of the store and out the door, which would lead them outside.</p>
<p>Larry kept his hold on Melissa and forced her towards the back of the store. The other two men, Lenny and Terry, grabbed the sack full of books Melissa had brought in, and threw them on a cart.  They wheeled the cart towards the back of the store, all the while filling it with several books that they had found while ransacking the store.</p>
<p>Once outside, Stan and Larry forced Melissa into the back of the van, which had been moved and parked in the alley.  She screamed once again for help, but Larry retained a firm hold on her and held his hand over her mouth to stifle the sounds.  Once they had pushed her inside, Lenny and Terry came out with the cart full of books, crawled inside, hoisted the cart into the back, and closed the doors firmly.  It was then that Stan climbed over to the driver’s seat and started the engine.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>~~~~~</p>
</div>As the men were piling into the van, Fraser stood on the corner adjacent to the shop and watched.  Two of them were pushing a cart full of books, while Melissa was being dragged from the store and in the direction of the waiting vehicle.  Turning away from the scene, Fraser could see that Ray was running back up the street towards him with Diefenbaker close behind him.  Disappointed, Fraser turned back around.  <i>Clearly Dief was unsuccessful at getting Ray to call for backup.</i><p>Within seconds, Fraser heard tires squealing and the van sped from the alley and out onto the street.  With or without Ray, he had to find out where they were taking Melissa.  Fraser’s eyes locked on Stan as he dangerously maneuvered the van through the area and once it passed, the Mountie took off after it.  When it reached the end of the block, there was an intersection and the van slowed down enough so that Fraser could jump on the back of it.</p>
<p>His feet were on the bumper as he grabbed the door handles and attempted to open the back doors and gain access.  Knowing that there were no windows on the backside of the van, enabled him to stay where he was without detection.  When his attempt to open the doors failed, he managed to manuver his body to the roof of the van.  There he remained until they had reached their destination.</p>
<p>For his part, Ray stood back at the intersection and saw his partner jump on the van, and he stared over at the license plate of the van.  Once the van disappeared in the distance, he pulled a pad of paper and wrote the license number down.  Maybe I am learning a few things from Fraser, he thought as he put the slip of paper in his pocket and began to walk in the direction of the precinct.  “I wish I knew what you were trying to tell me back there, Dief.  But, your master is the only one I know who speaks, ‘deaf wolf’.  So I guess it's up to me.  Let's go.”</p>
<p>As he began to walk away, he noticed that Diefenbaker refused to move.  Exasperated, he turned his attention to the wolf.  “Look, we can’t do anything except get back to the station, and run the plates.  Come on, we’ll find them.”</p>
<p>Reluctantly, the wolf started to move away from the spot where he had been standing.  As they were walking, Ray pulled out his cell phone and dialed the station.  When Elaine answered, he spoke, his voice laced in urgency.  “Yeah, Elaine, could you run the license number 3xt5dh for me?  I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”</p>
<p>He pushed the button on his phone and stuck it back in his pocket.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <b>Chapter 5</b>
  </p>
</div>Fraser remained on top of the van for approximately 20 minutes until it finally came to a stop in front of an rickety fishing cabin that was situated about fifteen miles outside of Chicago. He waited until they had disembarked the vehicle and watched sadly as they pulled a struggling Melissa from it.  She was fighting them with the anger of an angry tiger, but was clearly overpowered.  Exasperated with her struggling, one of the men finally picked her up, slung her over his shoulder, and carried her inside.<p>This left his cohorts outside to retrieve the books.  Once they had all disappeared inside, Fraser climbed down fron off the roof of the van and concealed himself behind the vehicle.  He remained for in the shadows, but looked around the area and sighed deeply.  Although he knew that the van had started out driving in a southeasterly direction, he still had no idea where they had ended up.</p>
<p>Glancing around the vehicle, he took in the fisherman’s cabin as well as a nearby lake.  Next to the cabin, he could see a small shed with fishing boots, clothing and tackle.  Clearly, these men were outdoor types and probably knew the area well.  Turning around, he could see a small generator covered by a large plastic tarp.  The soft hum that emerged from it could be heard  from the safe distance where he was hiding.  This indicated that they were now far enough away from civilization to go about their business unobserved.  Glancing around, Fraser noted that not far away, there were also powerlines towering overhead.  This made him wonder why there was even a generator present if the house was, in fact, on the electrical grid.  Most people who build cabins out in the middle of nowhere have no means of obtaining electricity and have to live off the land.  The generator was proof that it was feasible to live off grid without depending on the city for power. </p>
<p>Fraser continued to take in the area around the cabin and noticed that the tracks leading away from the area were deep, as though often in use.  He concluded that at least one of these men either lived on the property or spend a good deal of time there.  He began to scan the area for a post box or house number, but seeing none, he released a pent up sigh.  Next to the house, he noticed that some logs were stacked up against the side of the dwelling.  He concluded that inside the cabin there was a means in which to heat the cabin during the cold winter months.  Coming closer, he could see that the wood must have been chopped during some kind of training exercise in the martial arts because the wood was smoothly cut on one end and jagged on the other.  At that moment, light come up inside through a small window, so he approached, crouched down, and peered inside. </p>
<p>The five men were at a table with the grocery bag full of books.  The cart, which Fraser had seen, two of them wheel out back at the bookstore, was standing beside the table.  The men focused all of their concentration on the books.  Fraser looked in the corner where Melissa had been tied up.  Her face was a depiction of fear, the tears streaming from her eyes and seeping into the gag that covered her mouth.</p>
<p>Fraser hoped that once Ray arrived, he would be able to get the teenager out of there, but up to that point, the area was eerily quiet.  When he glanced down dirt road, which led away from the cabin, he noticed there was a lot of red clay, but no rocks.  He knew that if he had not come there alone, he would be able to somehow act as a diversion while the autorities got Melissa out.  Since he was alone out there, he distanced himself from the house, all the while trying to trying to devise a plan.</p>
<p>He glanced skyward, all the while noticing that it was quickly getting dark.  He knew that with his training, he'd be able to get out of the area quickly, but he was more concerned for Melissa.  <i>She probably has no idea about wilderness survival, </i>he thought, <i>and even if she did, we’re out in the middle of nowhere and my compass is in my other uniform.</i></p>
<p>Taking a deep breath, he distanced himself from the house and waited.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>~~~~~</p>
</div>“So what’cha got, Elaine?” Ray asked taking a sip of coffee.<p>“Registered to a Stan Michell, lives in Old Ridge Country Road 1.”  Elaine handed Ray the slip of paper.  “He was arrested two years ago for stealing old books from local museums.”</p>
<p>“Why would someone steal books?” Ray asked.</p>
<p>“When you catch him, why don't you ask?” Elaine smiled and referred back to her slip of paper.  “Actually, some old texts are really valuable especially if they're over 100 years old.”</p>
<p>“But why would he hold up Ol’ Chester’s Bookshop?”  Ray asked.</p>
<p>“Chester’s?”  Elaine asked, but after several moments, she nodded her head, “They sell a lot of authentic old books.  Michell probably caught wind of this and decided to hold it up and steal what he could.”</p>
<p>Ray's cellular phone began to ring again, “Vecchio here.”</p>
<p>“Ray, Melissa is gone.”  It was Anne McKray.</p>
<p>“Great, another one?” Ray grumbled.</p>
<p>“No, I sent her on an errand about three hours ago, and she never came back,”  Anne’s voice was shadowed with concern.</p>
<p>“Where’d she go?” Ray asked grabbing a pencil off the desk.</p>
<p>“’Chester’s bookstore’.  She’s never been known to run off and now I’m worried.”</p>
<p>“Why did she go to Chester’s?”  Ray asked.</p>
<p>“She was taking in some old books over there for me.  I had arranged with Chester to sell the books to him, and then the money would be used to buy some equipment for the school,”  Anne offered.</p>
<p>“Look Anne, stay by the phone, I’ve got an idea of where she is, but don’t panic.  I think Fraser’s nearby, and he won’t let anything happen to her,”  Ray said.  “I promise, I’ll call you back.”</p>
<p>He hung up the phone and slipped it inside his pocket.  “Could you get some back-up over to Old Ridge County Road 1, Elaine?  I have a feeling Melissa's been kidnapped.”  He grabbed the paper from her.  “I need a detailed map of the area around Old Ridge County Road.”  He called out.  Within seconds, one of his colleagues, a fellow detective named Jack Huey, did not waste a second, he opened a drawer, fumbled around in his desk, pulled out the requested map, and tossed it to Ray.  “Thanks, Jack.”</p>
<p>Without another word, he took off outside, with Diefenbaker following close behind.</p>
<p>Outside, they practically dove into Ray’s car and left.  Seconds later his phone rang again.  “Vecchio.”</p>
<p>“Detective Vecchio, I just got a call right after you left.  Jacobs was patrolling the area around Chester’s bookstore and found Chester Avery’s body on the ground at his shop.  They are in the process of transporting him to the coroner’s office and I won’t know anything for about an hour.  Jacobs said that witnesses have reported gunshots in the area about two hours ago,” Elaine said.</p>
<p>“Was there anyone else at the store?” Ray asked.</p>
<p>“No, but they found a handkerchief on the floor in one corner.  There was blood on it, and Melissa Ryan’s fingerprints were also on it.  Hold on, I think they got some of the test results back.  They ran a DNA test on the blood.”  Ray was left holding the phone and driving.  Seconds later, Elaine's voice was back.  “Oh my God, it’s Fraser's blood.”</p>
<p>Ray nodded, “calm down Elaine, I saw him come out of the store about an hour ago, and although I didn’t see his face, something tells me the boys in there used him as a battering ram.  I can only guess that Melissa gave him the handkerchief.  Do you have any information as to the wherabouts of Fraser or Melissa?”</p>
<p>“Nothing,” Elaine responded,  “I have referred this case to Lt. Welsh and he approved the backup being sent to Stan Michell’s place.  They should be there in the next ten minutes.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, Elaine, you’re a big help.  Oh, you might call Sister Anne McKray, she’s the nun in charge at Melissa’s school.  She probably should come down and verify which books she sent to Chester’s.  She’s gonna need to contact Melissa’s parents.”</p>
<p>“No problem, I call her.  Anything else?”</p>
<p>“No, I’ll check in later.”  Ray pushed the button on the phone, and stomped down on the gas pedal.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>~~~~~</p>
</div>By this time, Fraser was still standing some 50 feet away from the cabin when an idea hit.  He noticed that there were no doors leading outside from the backside of the cabin, so he could create a disturbance from the back without being seen, and double back and run inside before they come back.  He grabbed some big chunks of clay off to the side of the narrow road and carried them over to the edge of the lake.  <i>Individually, these tiny pieces would never shatter glass,</i> he thought, <i>but if I can get them a little wet, then maybe I could sculpt them into pieces that might. </i> He dipped two of the small small chunks of clay in the water.  Pulling them out, he meshed them together.  Succeeding, he grabbed two more and did the same. Repeating this, he managed to get five or six of the smaller chunks of clay molded into a bigger chunk.<p>As he managed this, he went over to retrieve several more fistfuls of clay.  After making three or four more trips from the water to the road and back, Fraser had 6 large sized chunks of clay meshed together.  His hands were now completely covered with clay, but that did not matter, he carried  and he carried them around to the back of the cabin.  All that was left for him to do was wait some moments for the clay to solidify.  He wondered all the while if the clay balls would actually impact the window and cause damage or simply splat against the glass like the sculpting clay in Melissa’s art class.</p>
<p>He would soon find out.  From a distance of about 10 feet, he took a deep breath and hurled the first clay ball against the front window.</p>
<p>It was just as he had been thinking, it simply stuck to the outside of the glass for a second and then dropped with a thud to the ground.  He had not even cracked the glass.  He backed a few more feet away as two of the men raised their heads.  Otherwise there was no reaction from inside the house.</p>
<p><i>This’ll never work,</i> Fraser mused to himself, <i>either I need bigger chunks of clay, or stone.</i>  He looked across the stream, to see if there were actually some rocks lining the edge.  When he saw none, he started looking for some solid pieces of wood or large chunks of tree branches.  He picked up the clay balls he had made and ran in the direction of the woods, which were adjacent tho the lake.</p>
<p>Slopping his way through the mud, he managed to find some solid pieces of wood.  Using them, he managed to squeeze one inside the balls of clay.  Noting that the clay was too light to throw against the window, he decided to try and mesh a second or third piece of wood into the sculpted balls of clay.  <i>This might make the clay more solid, but I just don’t know if this is even going to work,</i> he thought to himself as he continued to squeeze the chunks of wood into the clay balls he had made earlier.</p>
<p>Once his five pieces of clay were ready, he carried them back across the stream and returned to the the cabin. He could see through the window that the five men were still sitting at the table and concentrating on the books.  Taking a deep breath, he hurled the first clay ball straight at the window, and much to his surprise, the window shattered.</p>
<p>Recovering, he dashed off as the men abruptly stood up and angrily approached the window.  As Fraser reached the back side of the house, he ran into the woods as the voices of the men could be heard behind him.</p>
<p>“There's somebody out there, Stan.”  Lenny shouted when he saw the silhouette of a man running away from the house.</p>
<p>“Let’s go get ‘em,” Stan grumbled as he headed towards the front door.</p>
<p>“What about the kid?” Larry asked.</p>
<p>“I don’t think she’s going anywhere.”  Stan said, “And even if she does, she’ll never get out of here alive.”  He grabbed a rifle and the group of men left the cabin.</p>
<p>Outside, Fraser, had already doubled back and was hiding behind the van when the four men exited the cabin.  He was a bit surprised that they had all left the cabin together, but he was never one to look a gift horse in the face.  Once the doorway had been clear he ran inside the cabin.</p>
<p>Melissa was still lying in the same place that she had been when Fraser had seen her through the window earlier.  Since the men were gone, she was violently trying to struggle against the ropes that bound her arms and legs.  Seconds later, she heard someone rush inside the cabin and she felt a hand abruptly on her shoulder.  Not seeing who it was, she began to scream, the sounds muffled by the gag over her mouth.</p>
<p>“Melissa, calm down, it’s only me.” the voice emerged and her eyes widened in surprise.</p>
<p>It was Fraser.  “Try to stay calm, I’m almost certain that those guys will come back eventually.  Right now, I’ve got to get you out of here,” he continued to speak as he picked her up carried her out the door.  About 100 yards away from the cabin, he sat her on the ground and began to untie her.  “Are you alright?”</p>
<p>She nodded, “I think so.”</p>
<p>Once Fraser had her untied, he helped her stand up and they began to run away from the area.  But within minutes, they heard a motor and saw the headlights of the van. “Oh dear,” Fraser muttered.  “This way,” he shouted over the blaring motor of the van.  He led her into a crop of trees, right as the van passed them.</p>
<p>As they were parallel from where Fraser and Melissa were running,  Stan leaned out through the open window with the rifle and fired it.  </p>
<p>Melissa was still behind Fraser when the shot rang out.  She felt pain in the upper part of her left arm and screamed  “Fraser!”</p>
<p>Fraser turned around when he heard her call his name and saw her slump to the ground.  He rushed to her side and saw her face covered with tears.  “It hurts,” she grasped her shoulder with her hand.   Fraser got down on his knees when he saw in the dim light, that the blood began to seep through the blue blazer she wore.</p>
<p>By this time, the men had gotten out of the van and were approaching them.  “Constable,” Stan sneered aiming the rifle at the two of them.  “I’m surprised to see you so far away from Canada.”  He cocked the rifle and Melissa hid her face in the crock of Fraser's arm.</p>
<p>Seconds passed and the lights went up.  Police cars were parked along the street, and Ray and Diefenbaker were in the middle.  “Stan Mitchell, you and your men are under arrest, drop your weapons and put your hands in the air.”</p>
<p>Stan and his friends looked around and noticed they were now surrounded.  After several moments had passed, all of them except Stan had surrendered and were moving away from where Fraser and Melissa were on the ground.  Stan kept his hold on the rifle, but was soon disarmed by Ray, who wrestled the gun out of the mans arms and threw it to one of the backup officers.</p>
<p>“Shooting kids, Mitchell?” Ray asked as he cuffed the man.  “That kind of behavior should really give you a good couple of decades in stir,” Ray said as another officer led the suspect over to a group of police cars.  Once he had managed this, he rushed over to his partner.</p>
<p>“Benny, are you okay?”</p>
<p>“I’m fine, Ray, but Melissa’s been shot.  We’ve got to get her to a hospital, fast.”</p>
<p>Ray turned around to see the police had already the five suspects in the various squad cars.  “Ok, guys, you have this one under control, I think, so I’ll see ya back at the station.” Ray ran back to his car, and Diefenbaker followed.  </p>
<p>Fraser stood up and picked Melissa up in his arms.  “You’re going to be okay now, Melissa,” he spoke, “we’re going to get you some help now, I promise.”</p>
<p>“You really...are...my...friend,” Melissa whispered as she rested her head against the mountie’s shoulder.  Closing her eyes, she drifted out of consciousness as Fraser reached Ray’s car.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
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  <p>
    <b>Chapter 6</b>
  </p>
</div>Two days later, Fraser walked into the hospital.  In his arms he carried a stuffed teddy bear and a bouquet of flowers.  After finding out which room Melissa was in, he approached the elevator and rode up to the fourth floor.  When he stepped out of the elevator into the empty hallway, he heard someone call his name.  “Constable Fraser,” he turned around and saw Sister Anne McKray standing in the hallway.  “Did you come to see Melissa?”<p>“Yes, how is she doing?” he asked.</p>
<p>“I think she’s going to be okay.  Her parents were in with her earlier today and I’m just heading back to the school,” she looked at the objects that Fraser carried in his arms and smiled.  “I think it’s lovely of you to come and see her.  And you brought her a teddy, that's so nice.”</p>
<p>Fraser shrugged his shoulders but continued to followed her down the hallway.</p>
<p>At the door to Melissa's room, she stopped and knocked.</p>
<p>“Come in,” she heard Melissa's voice.  Sister Anne opened the door and walked inside.  “Hey, I thought you were going back to the school.”</p>
<p>“I was,” the nun responded, but I ran into a friend and wanted to show him to your room.</p>
<p>“Him?” Melissa asked.</p>
<p>Anne waved him inside and heeding this, Fraser stepped into the room.  “Hello Melissa.”</p>
<p>The teenager smiled slightly, but watched as Fraser approached the bed and sat down next to where she lay.  </p>
<p>“Hey, I didn’t think I’d see you again,” she offered shyly.  </p>
<p>“I would have come sooner, but I wasn’t able to.  I’m sorry, but you know how it is.”  He offered her a small smile and shrugged his shoulders.  “But, you know I’d eventually have come, I did promise."</p>
<p>“I’ll leave you two alone,” Sister Anne said gently, but paused before speaking again.  “You know, Ray really does have some good friends,” She smiled and exited the room.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Sister Anne,” he offered as she exited.  His attention diverted back to the girl in the large hospital bed.   He looked around for a chair, and upon finding one near the bed, he approached her.  Once he had sat down, he handed Melissa the teddy bear.  </p>
<p>She accepted it and held it in her arms.  “Thank you,” was all she was able to say.</p>
<p>“Sister Anne’s very nice, isn’t she?”  Fraser asked.</p>
<p>Melissa nodded, “yeah, she’s great.”</p>
<p>“Has Celine been by to see you?”  he asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah, just about everybody has, even Wanda and Tiff were here.  Then your partner was here to take my statement yesterday,” Melissa said and licking her dry lips she spoke again, "I always thought that once a statement is made, the police no longer came around.”</p>
<p>“I’m not here on an official capacity, Melissa.” Fraser offered.</p>
<p>“Did I cause you any problems with your boss the other day?” she asked after contemplating his answer.</p>
<p>“No, there weren’t any problems.  She was concerned for you.  She told me I should talk to you about what happened and try and clear the air,”  Fraser said.  “Honestly, I thought everything was fine, you were smiling the other night, and didn’t seem bothered.  You even made a joke about the hair color in the wig before you walked away.”</p>
<p>“Maybe it’s not the best thing to admit, but I was really hurt.  I guess after what happened, it would have been too embarrassing to admit it.  Now, after everything that happened with the bookstore, I think I understand the reason why you did what you did,” Melissa said.  “I guess it’s probably the same reason you saved my life two days ago.”</p>
<p>“Melissa, I didn’t want to hurt you and I’m sorry that I did.  But, like I said that night, everything else that we talked about was the truth,” Fraser said as he looked down at her earnestly.  “I know about what you told Celine the other night about considering me a friend.”</p>
<p>“She told you?” Melissa asked.</p>
<p>“Yes she did, but don’t be angry with her.  She knew you were hurt and yesterday when I came by the school, I talked to her after returning the books to Sister Anne.”</p>
<p>Melissa nodded, “I’m not mad. Did you, at least, return her diary?”  Upon receiving a confirming nod, she spoke again.  “The funny thing is, I still consider you a friend.”  She looked down at her lap and then after a second back up at him.</p>
<p>“You do?”</p>
<p>She nodded, “yeah, I mean, it’s probably not the coolest thing to admit, but since we’re alone, I guess it’s okay.”  She offfered him a small smile, but after several moments, that vanished and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.  “I thought you were a woman, and that you understood me, but in reality, you weren’t, so I didn’t really know if you did.”</p>
<p>“It goes against my grain to lie, and I know that I did, but you do know that it was not done to hurt you,” he said as he pulled a tissue from the box on the table and handed it to her.  “I did understand how you felt and I do understand how you are feeling right now, Melissa.”</p>
<p>She looked up at him after wiping her eyes,  “So, you don’t think I’m stupid for all the things I told you at the school?”</p>
<p>“No, I don’t,” he said shaking his head.</p>
<p>“The weird thing is I felt kind of stupid afterwards.  I wanted to talk to you, but I didn’t really know what to say.”</p>
<p>“Is that why you were unable to tell me anything the day you went to the consulate?”</p>
<p>She looked at him with wide eyes, “But, I thought you didn’t even see me?”</p>
<p>“Oh, I saw you, but, it’s kind of difficult to clarify.  When I stand guard, I’m not permitted to talk to anyone, that’s part of the job.”  He shrugged his shoulders and sighed.  “I think this does tend to get me into a lot of trouble, but of course I saw you.”</p>
<p>“That sounds awfully boring,”  she muttered more to herself than to him.</p>
<p>“Between you and me, it is boring.” Fraser smiled.</p>
<p>“So you don’t think I’m being stupid?”</p>
<p>“Of course not, you’re a good friend and if I’d had the chance then to talk to you, I would have told you that.  I never thought for a moment that you were stupid or that you were wrong for having confided in me.  I also don’t think it’s stupid for teenagers to have friends who are adults.  But, I do think it is brave of you to tell me how you really feel.  It's sometimes a scary thing to do, especially when it concerns something as special as a friendship.”</p>
<p>Melissa looked up at the man sitting by her bed.  Of all the people that had come to visit her, she was glad he had.  He was so honest with her, and finally after some moments passed, she looked down at the teddy bear that rested in her arms before looking back up at him.  “Are you saying you still consider me a friend?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” came his simple answer. </p>
<p>Melissa looked over at him as he sat by her bed.  She laid the teddy bear beside her, and tried to push herself up using her uninjured arm.  When she finally maneuvered herself into a sitting position, Fraser was beginning to stand up.</p>
<p>“Do you need something?” he asked as he stood up, “a doctor or perhaps some water?”</p>
<p>“No, I don’t need anything like that,” she answered and he sat back down. “Could you move a little closer though?”</p>
<p>Fraser looked a little confused, but did as she asked without objection. </p>
<p>When he was close enough to her, she reached over and wrapped her right arm around his neck and hugged him.  Finally, the tears she'd been holding back began to stream down her cheeks and she loosened her embrace.  It was then that she realized that he had wrapped her in his arms, and was hugging her as well.</p>
<p>The End</p>
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